Improving the lives of mothers in Myanmar

Best Community Telecom Project	Ooredoo Myanmar, Maymay
Last year's winner:	Smart Communications, help.PH - Global Disaster Response Fund Campaign
Shareholders:	Ooredoo Asia
Business segments:	Mobile communications services
CEO:	Rene Meza
Key stats (2014):	Revenues of QAR 189 million ($51.9 million); net loss was QAR 531 million ($145.8 million); 2.2 million customers

Mobile telecoms in Myanmar skyrocketed in 2014, with Ooredoo Myanmar signing over two million subscribers by the end of the year. But the telco also contributed to the community’s well being by leveraging mobile tech, and in doing so, earned this year’s Best Community Telecom Project award for their “Maymay” project.

Maymay is Myanmar’s first maternal health smartphone app, which Ooredoo Myanmar launched in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Maymay, which means “mother” in the Myanmar language, targets women as well as their partners, families and communities. In Myanmar, it’s hard to get information about maternal and child health. The Maymay app helps to solve this problem by regularly sending informational messages about maternal and child health to expecting and pregnant mothers, their partners and family members, and parents of young children.

Nasser Marafih, group CEO, Ooredoo, said in a statement: “I am proud of the recognition our Asian operations have received for their efforts to develop initiatives that reach out to our customers in such a compelling way. Many of these initiatives are relevant to other markets across our group and these awards provide great encouragement to explore how more of our customers can benefit from them.”

Ooredoo Myanmar is working with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women to develop a network of female agents. As well as selling airtime, these agents act to promote the maymay app and the benefits of a smartphone for women. Ooredoo Myanmar says the Maymay app currently has over 11,000 users. The cellco is targeting at least 30,000 downloads by February 2016.

Judges’ comment

“Mobile comms make radical changes in developing markets. The introduction of a local-language maternal health app in Myanmar helps inform users on healthcare issues and also helps boost Ooredoo Myanmar’s brand-image in a skyrocketing mobile market.”

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